NASCAR NNCS (THE GLEN) - PRE-RACE ADVANCE
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He “owns” the upstate New York road course, with three wins and one runner-up finish in the past five races.
In 2005, he put on one of the more impressive performances in NASCAR history, leading 83 of the 92 laps.
His statistics over the past two years there are equally dominant: • 90 laps led • 2.5 Average Running Position • 140.1 Driver Rating (with a perfect 150.0 in 2005) • 53 Fastest Laps Run • 182 of 182 Laps in the Top 15
Stewart notwithstanding, the story may shift to the battle for 12th place this Sunday. Kurt Busch moved into the top 12 with his win in the Pennsylvania 500. He now has a seven-point cushion over Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt has not performed well recently at Watkins Glen, except for a third-place finish in 2004. Busch has fared better over the last two years at the Glen, earning a Driver Rating of 96.4.
Kevin Harvick returns as the defending champion of the event. He fell to ninth in the standings after a 17th-place finish at Pocono, so Watkins Glen will be a welcome stop for Harvick. He led 28 laps in last year’s win and has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four Watkins Glen races.
Selected Driver Highlights Note: All driver stats are from Watkins Glen International. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005. Thus, Loop Data statistics in this release cover the last two races at Watkins Glen.
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Light Dodge) • One top 10; one poles • Average finish of 25.0 • Driver Rating of 96.4, ninth-best • 26 Fastest Laps Run, second-most • 10th-fastest Green Flag Speed • 92 Laps in the Top 15, 10th-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) • Four wins, six top fives, seven top 10s • Two poles • Driver Rating of 96.5, ninth-best • Average Running Position of 13.3, seventh-best • Three Fastest Laps Run, tied for seventh-most • 108 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most • Fifth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 106 Laps in the Top 15, ninth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet) • One top 10 • Average finish of 10.0 • Average Running Position of 11.2, fifth-best • Driver Rating of 100.3, tied for sixth-best • Ninth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 75% of his laps were in the top 15, fourth-highest percentage of any driver • 28 Quality Passes, third-best average per race
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) • One win, two top fives, four top 10s • Average finish of 8.0 • Average Running Position of 11.6, seventh-best • Driver Rating of 106.5, fourth-best • Five Fastest Laps Run, tied for fifth-most • Third-fastest Green Flag Speed • 136 Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) • Two top fives • Average finish of 16.4 • Average Running Position of 8.7, third-best • Driver Rating of 101.2, fifth-best • Seventh-fastest Green Flag Speed • 147 Laps in the Top 15, third-most
Jamie McMurray (No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford) • One top five • 12.8 average finish • Average Running Position of 12.3, seventh-best • Driver Rating of 100.3, tied for sixth-best • Sixth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 120 Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
Boris Said (No. 60 SoBe No Fear Ford) • One top five, two top 10s • 22.7 average finish • Average Running Position of 14.3, ninth-best • Driver Rating of 86.9, 10th-best • Nine Fastest Laps Run, third-most • 121 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) • Three wins, four top fives, six top 10s • Average finish of 6.8 • Series-best Average Running Position of 2.5 • Series-best Driver Rating of 140.1 • Series-high 53 Fastest Laps Run • Fastest Green Flag Speed • Series-high 182 Laps in the Top 15
At Watkins Glen International: • There have been 24 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen International since the first race there in 1957. Races were run in 1957, 1964 and 1965. The series returned there in 1987 and there has been one race a year since. • Buck Baker won the first Bud Pole and race at Watkins Glen. • Tim Richmond won the first Bud Pole and race at Watkins Glen upon the series’ return in 1987. • There have been 14 different Bud Pole winners at Watkins Glen. Qualifying has been canceled four times, including back-to-back years in 2004 and 2005. • Fifteen different drivers have won races at Watkins Glen, led by Jeff Gordon (four). • NASCAR returned to the Glen in 1964 and 1965 with Billy Wade and Marvin Panch claiming victories. • The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series has run one race a year at Watkins Glen International since 1986. • The NASCAR Busch Series held its first race at the Glen in 1991 with Terry Labonte claiming the checkered flag. • The first combination weekend at Watkins Glen International for NASCAR’s top series was a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in 1998. • Jeff Gordon set the all-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup record for road-course victories with his victory at WGI in 2001, his seventh on a road course. • Michael Waltrip is the only driver that has competed in the 21 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races since the series returned in 1986. • Rick Hendrick has won six races at Watkins Glen – more than any other car owner. • Seventeen of 24 races at Watkins Glen have been won from a top-10 starting position. • The race winner has started from the Bud Pole eight times, the most-productive starting position. • The deepest in the field that a Watkins Glen race winner has started was 18th by Steve Park in 2001. • The race winner has started first in eight of 24 races at Watkins Glen. Mark Martin leads all other drivers with wins from the Bud Pole with three in a row between 1993 and 1995. Fourteen of the 24 race winners have started from the top-three starting positions.
Driver Rating at Watkins Glen Tony Stewart 140.1 Robby Gordon 116.0 Kevin Harvick 108.2 Jimmie Johnson 106.5 Denny Hamlin 101.2 Jamie McMurray 100.3 Scott Pruett 100.3 Jeff Gordon 98.7 Kurt Busch 96.5 Boris Said 96.4 Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005 and 2006 races (2 total) at Watkins Glen.
Watkins Glen International Data
Race #: 22 of 36 (8-12-07) Track Size: 2.45 mile Race Length: 90 laps
Qualifying/Race Data 2006 pole winner: Kurt Busch (122.966 mph, 71.727 seconds) 2006 race winner: Kevin Harvick, 76.718 mph) Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon (124.580 mph, 70.798 seconds, 8-8-03) Track race record: Mark Martin (103.300 mph, 8-13-95)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 30-32 laps, based on fuel mileage